A set of Scottish Great Highland Bagpipes consists of an air supply, a bag, a chanter, and several drones. Air is blown into the bag by blowing into the blowpipe. The inflated bag holds the air while the player applies pressure to pump the air through the pipes.
The chanter is the melody pipe, and is played by two hands. It is open ended so there is no easy way for the player to stop the pipe from sounding. Because of this, grace notes and embellishments are used when playing. The Great Highland Bagpipe has three drones, a bass drone and two tenor drones. A drone has a single reed, and is designed in two or more parts, with a sliding joint so that the pitch of the drone can be adjusted.
Learning to play the bagpipe is a process that takes several steps. It is best to begin with a practice chanter to learn the finger positions. After becoming proficient on the practice chanter, transition to the bagpipe can begin. At first, the drones are corked to allow for less airflow (called “Playing the Goose”) so the student can find it easier to learn arm, breath, and finger control. The drones should be uncorked one at a time as skills improve.
